Headline

If We Were Villains is the dark campus novel I’ve been craving ever since loving Christopher J. Yates’s Black Chalk three years ago…and is one of my favorite books of 2017 so far.

Plot Summary

After spending ten years in prison, Oliver Marks is ready to tell the story of the tragedy that happened to his seven best friends and fellow Shakespeare theatre students during their fourth year at Dellecher, an intense Conservatory for the arts.

Why I Read It

Susie at Novel Visits recommended this book and compared it to Donna Tartt’s The Secret History (which I loved). Plus, I’m a complete sucker for campus novels, especially dark ones.

Major Themes

Friendship, Shakespeare, Secrets / Betrayal

What I Loved

If We Were Villains is a dark, sinister, Gothic campus novel jam-packed with emotional tension. The dynamics between Oliver and his group of friends are incredibly complicated and constantly shifting, resulting in nail-biting suspense. After the 20% mark, I could not put this book down!

The story kicks off with a Prologue that made me think A) I’m dying to know what happened to this group of friends ten years ago and B) I’m pretty sure it’s going to be really messed up.

Though I have mixed feelings about all the Shakespeare in this book (see “What I Didn’t Like” below), I do think the general theme contributed to much of the book’s Gothic feel and made what could be interpreted as mundane friendship dynamics feel much more sinister. I just knew that one of these people was going to become believably capable of doing something monstrous.

What ended up happening with the Dellecher fourth years was surprising (particularly how it went down), but absolutely made sense within the context of the story. I could see how each player ended up in the role (obligatory acting pun!) they did.

What I Didn’t Like

References to and excerpts from Shakespeare’s plays are incorporated throughout this book. The students pepper their own conversations with Shakespeare one-liners, discuss the plays in class, and refer to themes from the plays in their daily lives. I admit I’m not a fan of Shakespeare and find his language kind of unintelligible, so this initially annoyed me. Just before the 20% mark, I actually considered putting the book down. However, I’m so relieved I kept going. I realized that you don’t have to pay close attention to the Shakespeare excerpts or really understand them to get invested in the story. So, don’t let a wariness of Shakespeare deter you from reading this!

A Defining Quote

Actors are by nature volatile – alchemic creatures composed of incendiary elements, emotion and ego and envy. Heat them up, stir them together, and sometimes you get gold. Sometimes disaster.

Comparisons to Gone Girl and/or The Girl on the TrainPublishers need to just stop this already! It’s completely overdone and regularly slapped on books that don’t remotely resemble the two gigantic Girl books (A Separation is the most recent egregious example).

Overly Formal or Flowery WritingI wrote a whole post about the kind of writing I adore and it boils down to simple, spare, and hard-hitting. The formal writing is why I couldn’t get onboard with A Gentleman in Moscow (my review).

Endings That Are Too Neatly Tied UpI like some sort of closure that leaves me satisfied (which can be an open ending that make sense with the story), but I can’t stand when every single tiny thing is answered in the last chapter. The worst offenders are those epilogues that skip forward a decade to tell you where each character ended up ten years later (i.e. The Nest).

SeriesI just can’t commit to three, four, or more books about the same story. I recently read the first two books in Greg Iles’s Natchez Burning (my review) series and have no urge to pick up the final book (Mississippi Blood) that just came out.

Certain CoversLike the ones you typically find on romance or fantasy books.

“Beautiful” War NovelsI used to love these, but am just kind of burned out. This one may be temporary…we’ll see.

Celebrity Comedian MemoirsI don’t generally find these as funny as I think I’m supposed to (Bossypants, Yes Please, Dad Is Fat). I think I prefer more subtle, unexpected humor.

What are your biggest book turn-offs?

Looking for a specific book recommendation? I’ve got you covered!Participate in my limited time, free trial of my
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The limited time free trial of Personalized Book Recommendations from Sarah’s Book Shelves is now OPEN! I’ve been cranking out personalized recommendations for the past few days…turns out this is fun! I’ve got you covered for Mother’s or Father’s Day gifts, book club recommendations, or the perfect book for yourself! Sign-up here!

Last week, I dug into May releases…with some hits and misses. I also read my first hardcover book (Startup) in at least a year and was reminded that reading hardcovers is completely cumbersome and doesn’t fit my current read-on-the-go lifestyle! Miraculously, I still really enjoyed the book.

And, I’ve apparently become so disenchanted by American thrillers (I’ve been craving a great one and keep getting disappointed) that I’ve now gone abroad. I’m attempting French and Australian thrillers this week. If these work, I might never come home…

I finished reading…

The Takedown by Corrie Wang (April 11, 2017)This is the first YA novel I’ve enjoyed in years…it’s unique, fun, juicy, and provides an interesting/terrifying look at where technology and social media could go! Look for it on my 2017 Summer Reading Guide (coming in mid-May).Affiliate Link: Buy from Amazon

Startup by Doree Shafrir (April 25, 2017)Startup was my second book in a row involving the technology world and was a fun, easy read with biting social commentary, which I always love.Affiliate Link: Buy from Amazon

I’m currently reading…

Based on a True Story by Delphine de Vigan (May 9, 2017)I’m about halfway through this French (it’s sold 500,000 copies in France!) psychological thriller about an author and a toxic friendship that is, like the title says, based on a true story. Man, is it creepy! I’m dying to know how this all plays out.Affiliate Link: Pre-Order from Amazon

I tried, but wasn’t feeling…

The Goodreads reviews for both these books are generally positive, so there’s a chance I could go back to them if someone I trust raves about them. But, based on their openings, I decided not to be the guinea pig.

The Leavers by Lisa Ko (May 2, 2017)I thought I would enjoy this highly anticipated debut about a boy who grows up with white parents after his biological mother (an undocumented Chinese immigrant) goes missing, but I had a hard time connecting with the characters and kept zoning out. DNF at 13%.

No One Can Pronounce My Name by Rakesh Satyal (May 2, 2017)This novel about a community of Indian Americans living in Cleveland was billed as being funny, but I didn’t get that at all. Granted, I didn’t make it very far, but I also kept zoning out as I was reading…never a good sign.

Upcoming reading plans…

The Dry by Jane Harper (January 10, 2017)After months and months, my library hold finally came in for this Australian mystery that’s gotten tons of buzz…just in time to possibly be included in my Summer Reading Guide!

Get free personalized book recommendations from an actual human. Read however you want (i.e. e-books, audiobooks, etc).Purchase or borrow from any store or library you want.Save time.

Are you looking for the perfect book to give as a Mother’s or Father’s Day gift? Or just the perfect book for yourself?

Do you want personalized book recommendations, but don’t have the time to visit an independent bookstore, the library or browse the bookish Internet/social media?

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I’ve been an avid reader for most of my life and have been writing about books for over four years. I’ve read hundreds of books that are just waiting to be recommended to the right people.

Sarah’s Book Shelves is offering free personalized book recommendations for a limited time.

How does it work?

I provide book recommendations (not the actual books) based on your personal taste. You purchase or borrow the book(s) in whatever format (e-book, audiobook, hardcover, etc) you choose from the store of your choice.

All you need to do is fill out a brief questionnaire to submit your recommendation request and I’ll get back to with 2-3 fantastic books that fit your criteria!

Full Disclosure

I’m offering this service at no charge as a trial for a paid personalized book recommendation service.

Anyone who participates in this free trial will receive a special discount if you sign-up for the eventual paid service.

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by the Broke and the Bookish) topic is Ten Things That Will Instantly Make Me Want to Read A Book.

There are definitely certain book characteristics that I’m a total sucker for. Sometimes with glorious results and sometimes not so much. Regardless of the results, when it comes to these ten things, I’m that girl that continues “doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results.” (Albert Einstein)

It involves a dysfunctional family…I know you’re all shocked to find this one here! There are too many scandalous dysfunctional family novels to list here, but the last one I loved was Dead Letters.

It involves wealthy people behaving badly…This category is hit and miss for me…and the key to hitting is having a character that’s somewhat outside the wealthy bubble that can provide biting social commentary on the antics of the wealthy (Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby, Truman Capote in The Swans of Fifth Avenue, and Mabel Dagmar in Bittersweet).

I was visiting family last week in Virginia and we got some gloriously warm weather! It reminded me how much I miss Spring (we haven’t really had a true Spring the last few years where I live). We did some Easter egg hunting, my son played a ton of basketball (his new obsession) and I got some good reading in.

Right now, I’m trying to cram in a final few possibilities for the Summer Reading Guide (which will be coming out in mid-May), so I’m focused on lighter books.

And, the limited time free trial of Personalized Book Recommendations from Sarah’s Book Shelves will launch this Thursday! If you’re looking for a fantastic book to give to your mom or dad for Mother’s / Father’s Day, I can help you with that! If you’re just looking for the perfect book for yourself, I can help with that too! Look for a blog post on Thursday with sign-up information.

Anything Is Possible by Elizabeth Strout (April 25, 2017)This companion book to My Name Is Lucy Barton grew on me the farther I read and reminded me how much I enjoy the beautiful simplicity of Strout’s writing. A great pick for fan’s of Lucy Barton, but you do not need to have read Lucy Barton to enjoy these stories! Also a great choice for someone who is new to short stories.Affiliate Link: Buy from Amazon

I’m currently reading…

The Takedown by Corrie Wang (April 11, 2017)This is the first YA novel I’ve read in ages and it’s totally addictive! I’d categorize it as demented high school students set in the near future with a focus on social media and technology.Affiliate Link: Buy from Amazon

Upcoming reading plans…

Startup by Doree Shafrir (April 25, 2017)This tech world satire was my April Book of the Month selection and I’m hoping it will make a good addition to my 2017 Summer Reading Guide.

Headline

The Wanderers will appeal to fans of Andy Weir’s The Martian (my review), but manages to be its own thing entirely in a more psychological, less page-turnery way…and is the most unique book I’ve read all year.

Major Themes

Space travel, psychological implications of long separations from family, how people behave when they’re being monitored 24/7, extreme stress

What I Loved

The Wanderers is first and foremost a story about getting the astronauts psychologically ready for a Mission to Mars, which takes years. They must get used to isolation from the world, living in cramped quarters for long periods of time with their 3-person crew, the physical affects of the mission, and the extreme pressure to perform perfectly or risk death.

Early on, you get glimpses of the tiny ways each astronaut is hiding personality deficiencies that, if really explored, could possibly compromise their spots on the crew. And, part of the suspense of the story is wondering if and/or how these will eventually blow up.

I loved getting the perspectives of each astronaut’s family and the impact of the astronauts’ stature and long absences on the families left behind. Each family deals with this in a different way…from a daughter who finds it difficult to live in her successful mother’s shadow to a son who starts acting out to a wife who questions whether she misses her husband at all.

If her mother goes to Mars, then that will be the only story of Mireille’s life. It will wipe out everything. Mireille wants to stay with that thought a little, but promises herself she will return to it later, when she has more time to savor how awful it is.

I’ve realized lately that I love snarky humor, especially when it’s somewhat unexpected. Let me stress that The Wanderers is not a funny book. But, there is very subtle humor and I especially appreciated what I’ll call the “corporate snark” (i.e. making fun of the “drink the Koolaid” vibe of Prime Space).

I’d be remiss not to address the comparison to The Martian. What The Wanderers is and what it isn’t. It’s less scientific, there is far less on-the-edge-of-your-seat action (after all, this crew is in a simulator…they’re not actually risking death), it’s far more psychological, and you will recognize terms and some of the science from The Martian (“sol”, anyone?). It also as some weird Mary Roach-style scientific anecdotes about space (i.e. they recycle poop into the lining of the spacecraft as a barrier against cosmic radiation).

I’m not particularly interested in space or Mars, but Howrey made it fascinating for me by focusing on the psychology (how to pick the team, personality traits that are valuable, how those traits translate into good or bad things in the real world, and how people behave when monitored 24/7). She truly made me appreciate the wonder of being in space even though this crew never left the ground.

What I Didn’t Like

The Wanderers has been knocked in reviews for moving at a glacial pace and lacking action. It’s true, there isn’t a ton of action and certainly nothing like the pace of The Martian. But, I disagree that nothing happens. These astronauts and their families go on a psychological journey, coming out different people than they were going in. There are definitely some slow points and times where the story veers off onto philosophical tangents, but they didn’t dampen my love for this book.

A Defining Quote

There are many things that can go wrong in the first minutes of leaving Earth and most of them come with a decision-making window of less than five seconds. If you are an astronaut it means that you are someone who can assess and react quickly. If you are a great astronaut it means that while your mental and physical reactions operate at top speed, your emotional reactions are stately and glacial. The combination that works best is someone who only needs four seconds to get to: This is what we need to do, and four months to get to: Gee, I’m a little bit uncomfortable.

While creating this service, I’ve thought a lot about how to give the best book recommendations possible…which in turn got me thinking about how to ask for book recommendations so you’ll have the best chance of finding a book that fits your personal taste. So, I thought I’d share my thoughts!

Most importantly, know yourself and your reading taste.

The clearer you can be about your reading tastes and preferences, the better book recommendations you will get!

Beyond what books and authors you like and don’t like, pay attention to why you like (or don’t like) a particular book or author. You’ll be surprised at the patterns you’ll find! Beyond knowing you like a certain genre, think about what you like or don’t like about books in that genre. These revelations can then be applied across all genres and help you expand your reading horizons in a more purposeful way.

For example, I’ve had trouble with mysteries and thrillers lately. I’ve figured out it’s because they can seem formulaic after awhile, rely more on plot than writing or style, and generally have “shocking” twists and/or endings that are either A) not surprising or B) so surprising that I roll my eyes at the ridiculousness.

Consider how you feel about key literary elements.

I’ve found that certain characteristics of books are much more important than a book’s topic in determining the right fit.

LengthAre you open to chunky books (more than 400 pages) or do you prefer something short?

Plot vs. StyleDo you need a propulsive plot to love a book or can you also enjoy quieter books that have gorgeous writing? Obviously, it’s ideal to have both, but many books don’t.

Likable / Relatable Characters Can you enjoy a book that has predominantly dislikable characters or do dislikable characters kill a book for you? Do you have to relate to at least one character to love the book?

The Happiness FactorDo you like to read books that are light and happy? Or at least end up that way? Do you mind emotional gut-wrenchers and/or books with dark storylines?

HumorHumor is a tough one, as it’s such a personal thing. Everyone finds different things funny and what one person finds funny, another could find offensive. How do you feel about inappropriate humor? Morbid humor? Gross-out humor? Snarky humor?

EndingsDo you like your endings to resolve all the big questions (or, as I like to call it, “tied up neatly with a bow”)? Or, can you still be satisfied with an ending that leaves things somewhat unresolved?

Figure out what types of “outside of your comfort zone” books you might be willing to try.

I’ve had some good luck venturing outside of my literary fiction comfort zone lately. I’ve read a couple fascinating Science Fiction books and some gorgeous short story collections, both of which are outside of my wheelhouse. I know that I can carefully venture into these two genres for books that come recommended from trusted sources.

I’m also pretty comfortable in the fact that romance novels, fantasy series, and cozy mysteries are probably not going to work for me.

And, the answer to this question for you could very well be none, which is completely fine. But, at least you’ll know the answer!

Keep a record of your reading.

Some readers may know exactly what types of books they like and how they feel about the key literary elements I mentioned above. But, it’s perfectly fine if you don’t!

To get a handle on your personal reading taste, try keeping a record (spreadsheet, journal, scrap paper, whatever works for you!) of the books you like and why you liked them (and do the same for books you don’t like) for a month or two. Look for patterns in your likes and dislikes across books.

Now it’s time to put this to the test!Participate in a limited time, free trial of my
new PERSONALIZED BOOK RECOMMENDATION service!

Oh my gosh, what a frustrating reading week! I DNF’d two books and one audiobook (Anna Kendrick’s memoir, Scrappy Little Nobody) and have just found myself generally distracted and unable to find books that actually stick. Thankfully, I finally got my act together towards the end of the week, but only after feeling like I spun my wheels during days of precious reading time!

I did finish S-Town (the new podcast from the producers of Serial) and, man, was that good! It turned out to be quite different than I expected, but no less captivating. I also watched the first episode of HBO’s Big Little Lies. I resisted because I hated the book, but was assured the series was darker and more focused on the parents’ deeply messed up personal issues (rather than mommy politics). And, the first episode definitely stood up to this description! I’m in for the duration!

I also saw Ariel Levy, author of the memoir The Rules Do Not Apply (which I loved), speak at our local library this weekend. I met her and of course chickened out on asking her for a picture. I need some serious lessons on how to attend author events! She was a super engaging speaker and her personality was exactly what you would expect based on her book.

I finished reading…

Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney (January 17, 2017)Delightful, playful, whimsical, and nostalgic. It’s a very New York book and Lillian is quite a New York character. One of those unique kinds of historical fiction novels that I really enjoy!Affiliate Link: Buy from Amazon

I tried, but wasn’t feeling…

Marlena by Julie Buntin (April 4, 2017)Though I really loved the first chapter of this debut, I kept zoning out after that point and put it aside around 30%. Yet another recent book I’m in the minority on…

Plot Summary: After Meredith Oliver witnesses the abduction of a her classmate (but not necessarily friend), Lisa Bellow, she and her entire family struggle to process the impact of being the one left behind.

My Thoughts: I adored Susan Perabo’s short story collection, Why They Run the Way They Do (my review), so was thrilled to hear her first full length novel was coming out this year. While I still prefer Why They Run the Way They Do, The Fall of Lisa Bellow is a psychologically suspenseful novel that gets to the nasty little heart of things (thank you, Catherine!), a type of story I’m always game for. This story is not about what happened to Lisa Bellow, but about the survivors and survivor’s guilt. It’s about the often ungenerous, but brutally honest thoughts, of those who escaped the worst. And, it’s about the minefield of life as a middle school girl. Perabo’s biting portrayal of middle school made me alternately chuckle and cringe…just like actual middle school.

Lisa looked at her. There was the look. This was why everyone hated her. This was why middle school girls had stomachaches when they woke up in the morning. This was why girls were afraid to read the next text, or turn the corner into the cafeteria. This was why Jules could think, why they all could think, all the girls who were not her friends, why they could all secretly think: Good riddance.

My major gripe lies with the publisher’s blurb, which calls The Fall of Lisa Bellow “gripping” and “suspenseful,” leading readers to expect a page turner. The suspense here is the emotional type rather than “what happens next” type, and readers going in expecting the latter will likely be disappointed. I’d call it more of a coming of age novel with a crime in the background than a page turning mystery.

Plot Summary: Following a life of crime, Samuel Hawley and his daughter (Loo) move back to Loo’s mother’s hometown of Olympus, Massachusetts, where Loo begins to unravel her father’s past and how her mother died.

My Thoughts: This novel has gotten a ton of pre-publication hype and two fellow bloggers whose tastes I usually agree with loved it (Novel Visits, It’s Tara Leigh). It was also marketed as a coming of age novel / thriller, which sounded right up my alley. Unfortunately, The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley was just okay for me and I’m having trouble understanding all the hype.

The story alternates between Loo and Samuel navigating life in Olympus (the “coming of age” portion of the story) and chapters explaining each one of Samuel’s twelve bullet scars (the “thriller” portion of the story), with the two threads converging towards the end. I enjoyed the coming of age aspect (Loo/Samuel sections) of this structure, but after multiple “thriller” chapters (i.e. the bullet sections), I started to get bored with all the violence. With an exception or two, these chapters seemed senseless and the stories began to run together in my head. By the 75% mark, I began skimming just to find out how things would end.

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